A Los Angeles jury on Friday, December 23 found rapper Tory Lanez guilty of three felonies in the 2020 shooting of hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion that left her wounded with bullet fragments in her feet.
The jury deliberated for one day before convicting the 30-year-old Canadian rapper, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. The counts could lead to up to 22 years in prison.
Tory Lanez showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read. He was handcuffed while in the courtroom.
After the jury left the courtroom, Lanez’s father, Sonstar Peterson, leapt up and began shouting: “This wicked system stands judged before God almighty!”
He then pointed to the two prosecutors in the case and yelled “You two are evil, wicked people. You know exactly what you did.”
ALSO READ: Justin Bieber Decides To End Friendship With Kanye West For Attacking His Wife, Hailey Bieber
Deputies removed him from the courtroom, where he continued to shout in the hallway.
ALSO READ: Osita Iheme Loses Brother During Gunmen’s Shootout In Imo State
Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified during the trial that Lanez fired a handgun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from car they had been in.
She needed surgery to remove bullet fragments from her feet.
The shooting set off a national conversation that peaked during the trial, focusing on the reluctance of Black victims to speak to police, the protection of Black women, gender politics in hip-hop, and online toxicity.
In closing arguments, prosecutors emphasised the courage it took for Megan to come forward and the vitriol the 27-year-old has faced for it. They said she had no incentive to tell anything but the truth.
Lanez’s lawyer alleged in his closing argument that the shots were actually fired by Megan’s friend Kelsey Harris in a jealous fight over Lanez, who tried to stop the shooting.
The attorney, George Mgdesyan, argued Megan created a more sympathetic narrative by pinning the shooting on Lanez.
